E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSSBy Rachel Rettner
MyHealthNewsDaily
Children under age 2 should avoid watching TV as much as possible, according to a new policy statement from the nation's largest group of pediatricians, who suggest the tots should play instead.
The idea that TV programs are beneficial to the learning of children this young has not been proved, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. In addition, TV viewing may lead to sleep problems and a delayed use of speech in young kids, recent research suggests.
Even merely having the TV on in the background may be less than optimal for a child's development, the AAP says. Background television may distract from playtime activities that benefit children's learning. And it may distract parents, preventing them from speaking and interacting with their kids, the AAP says.
However, the recommendations run counter to what most parents actually do. About 90 percent of parents say their kids younger than 2 watch some type of media, according to a 2007 study. By the age of 3, nearly one-third of kids have a TV in their bedrooms.
As a compromise, parents should come up with a strategy to manage TV viewing in their young children, the AAP says. Ideally, when kids younger than 2 watch TV, their parents should watch it with them.
The new policy statement was released today (Oct. 18) here at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition. The policy statement specifically addresses the viewing of TV programs and does not comment on the potential benefits or risks of using phone applications, video games or other programs a child may encounter on a screen.
Young kids and TV
The AAP first released guidelines on media use by young kids in 1999, concluding that media use by kids under 2 should be discouraged. Since then, a lot more research has been done on the subject. The AAP reviewed this research for its new policy statement and essentially came to the same conclusion.
That's not to say that kids can't benefit from TV. Children older than 2 can improve their language and social skills by watching TV, some studies have shown.
However, in order to gain a benefit from a TV program, kids need to be able to understand and pay attention to it. Young kids may lack the mental ability to comprehend what they are watching. In fact, two studies have found that, for kids 2 and under, watching programs such as “Sesame Street” may have a negative impact on language development, the AAP says.
"There's a great developmental digital divide," Dr. Ari Brown, a pediatrician in Austin, Texas, and lead author of the new policy statement, said at a news conference. Studies show that children under 11/2 years old have the same reaction to a TV program regardless of whether it's going forward or backward, Brown said. In contrast, older children prefer to watch the program forward.
All in all, instead of spending time in front of the TV, young kids are likely better off spending that time engaged in unstructured play, which promotes creative thinking, problem solving and reasoning skills.
Setting limits
If parents choose to let their young kids watch TV, they should set limits, the AAP says. They should also avoid placing a TV in the child's bedroom
Parent should be aware TV programs may affect their child's development, even if the child cannot understand the program. They should turn the TV off if no one is watching it and try to watch their adult programs when the kids are not around, Brown said.
If parents cannot play with their kids directly, even having the children play with toys by themselves can be beneficial, the AAP says.
The AAP also recommends further research in this area to examine the long-term effects of early TV viewing on toddlers’ development.
The new policy statement will be published in the November issue of the journal Pediatrics.
10 Ways to Promote Kids' Healthy Eating Habits
11 Facts Every Parent Should Know About Their Baby's Brain
5 Ways to Foster Self-Compassion in Your Child
Leave a Comment:
Odd that Dr. Brown calls it a "developmental digital divide, since the AAP statement pointedly ignores all the digital screens that have emerged since the original statement in 1999.
At the press conference, Dr. Brown said there wasn't sufficient research, but also admitted that the 1999 statement was built on "minimal data and cautionary principle." So, they could/should have acknowledged and addressed the potential and the cautions of emerging and interactive screens. As it is, it puts the entire statement into question; it comes across as having been recovered from a early-2000s time capsule.
The above article references negative impact on language development. The study cited, done by Dmitri Christakis, didn't take content (your reference Sesame Street) into account, just time spent. Second, any language deficit at 16 months was gone by 17-24 months, so there is no evidence of lasting effect. Third, when the founders of Baby Einstein got hold of Christakis' data, they found that unfavorable data had been ignored.
But many parents do give into the temptation of using the TV as a babysitter while they go do something else somewhere in the house. I know I will be employing this strategy to cook my meals.
Television is an addiction, and people who defend television speak like addicts often do about the drug they love. Anybody with common sense, or with actual knowledge of neurophysiology/early childhood development, can easily see that sitting in front of an electronic device passively watching what television most often delivers (corporate and socialization propaganda) is not good for kids, especially not in comparison to kids interacting with REAL humans, moving around, being outside in nature, etc. Please don't try to defend television. My dad was right when he called it "the idiot box." Television is BAD for kids.
Finally an article that makes sense. Turn it off. Mom cleaning the living room? give a rag or duster to the two year old and have them mimick you or play with something in the same room. Cooking? let that toddler or infant play with the pots and pans on the floor . . . an older toddler can even help bake. Dough is lots of fun to work with for toddlers. Parenting is not just "quality time" it is "hands on" in everything to do with a house or the garden or the family. But the first step is to "turn it off"
how dare they take away the lazy parents best resource!! the nerve!
Some of these comments truly make me laugh. Television is a tool. Are you going to say that my 3 children who watch shows that teach them phonics, decision making, problem solving, math, and other skills they have to have is bad? It is a TOOL! It is much easier for myself to sit down with two toddlers and a six year old and watch Blue's Clues or Sesame Street then trying to get my two toddlers to try to focus on grasping a pencil and doing math including introductions to fractions.
I am not saying let them watch Walking Dead or Law and Order but children's programming is good. All of my children recognize words in print and while I do read to my children, I highly doubt it is just my reading that is exposing them to it. My children can all talk and understand please and thank you, again something that I not only reinforce but I have seen consistently with children programming geared towards young children. I still take them outside to play or daddy gets to be a horsey or what have you but a couple hours a day is just fine for children to watch shows geared toward learning.
Next I am going to see someone say that all forms of educational information is invalid unless it comes from a book and well I will again disagree. Even if it is something where they slaughter some of the information to present a certain view because it is the viewer's responsibility to look farther into the subject if they are interested.
Kids under 2 should not watch TV?? Hell, what about kids OVER 2??? I mean, they're the obese ones. Limit the TV...and the damned phone.....and get them out there with a bike or a basketball, and it doesn't have to be formally orgaized. Kids who are missing spontaneous pick up games are missing a really neat part of their youth.
I watch my grandchildren sit hour after hour playing those ridiculous computer games. The days are beautiful, the parks are empty, no children outside playing and stupid time wasting mind numbing time wasters take up their every waking hour.
Bob - Yes. television is bad, even shows that are supposedly "educational" May I submit your own words for evidence here:
It has been shown that watching TV has a decidedly negative impact on attention spans. Maybe if you spent more time doing normal things with your children instead of plopping them in front of a TV they would be able to focus on things that kids in the pre-TV era had no issues with.
Maybe parents who chose the rights to be parents should put the Real Housewife on pause and sit down with their children to teach him/her how to grasp a pen, adding 2 red fruitloop to 3 green fruitloops, and other skills. Personally I think having an intimate one on one interaction with your children is a far better tool then sitting them in front of a tv and let them watch some "learning channel". Does it create bonding and mentally teaches your child the meaning of relationships? Til this day I am still thankful that I grew up in a time where my mom didn't use television as a babysitter. When she was cooking, I was always in the kitchen with my toy pots and pans. I grew up loving to cook instead of making a drive through run. When she folded clothes in the living room, she used that time as storytelling and growing up I didn't mind folding clothes. She read to me before every bedtime even if it's for 5 minutes and even if she was extremely exhausted from working 10 hrs a day. Because of all that, I appreciated my mom, never talked back, never disappointed her, and never wished to have any other. My father taught me math through carpentry before first grade and strategy through sports.
So thank god, my parents didn't use television as a tool. I wouldn't know how to bond with the television.
Really Brokinarrow? Where is the study that shows that? I have never seen that study. Or are you going to use things involving the study where 1 in every 110 children have autism even though the reclassification is what really brought the numbers up.
Would you rather me send them to pre era times where children got to deal with such fun things as polio, wondering when their next meal would be, farm animal attacks, working in a factory, and other such wonderful pre television ideals? Or does that sound a tad drastic.
From my own words I mentioned another tool in there. A pencil. If you honestly think that television is so bad then that is fine I am not going to tell you that you have to force your child to watch television. Personally I would much rather use a tool that is along the lines of the job that needs to be done. I know I wouldn't use a screwdriver to try to fix a leaking pipe. I know that a crayon is a great tool for them to color and that is something a television just doesn't allow them to do. I know that a one and a half year old is not going to grasp the concept of a quarter cup of milk even if I pour it in front of them. They are going to grab for the milk.
I am not saying turn it on all day every day and don't let your children play but frankly with a comment like yours I wonder if you somehow think that every parent that lets their children watch a show such as sesame street that teaches how to go wee wee and woo woo in the potty is bad. Would you much rather I hand them the 500 page book I bought that is written at a twelfth grade level so they could understand how to go potty? Perhaps I should sit there and yell at them every time they put the book down because they aren't paying enough attention to it?
I have a solution, let parents decide on the tv issue and all children should go out and play.
Bob - it's called common sense. And just because I say kids shouldn't watch TV does not mean I somehow SHUN the rest of modern advances. The biggest issue I have with letting kids watch TV is the advertisements. As for the studies? I found plenty on a Google search, took me 2 seconds:
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=tv+and+add
Val - the problem is that most parents these days seem to lack the common sense to tell their kids NO... not just to TV, but to any undesirable behavior.
Bob, you said enough in 3 words to understand your parenting philosophy.
Now you should just STFU.
How we supposed to brainwash the dang kids if they don't watch TV? We need to turn these kids into programmed, killing consumer machines!!!
AnaBanana- (sings) Like a light switch, just go click! (stops singing) Sorry, I'm really on a Book of Mormon musical kick lately. irrationalexuberance, not everything has to be intellectually challenging. In addition, American Idol has produced some great singers (including two of my favorites, Kelly Clarkson and David Cook), and Dancing With the Stars is just fun. Bob, I think you may have the sanest viewpoint on the issue.
Brokinarrow. I just checked your google search and after the nineteenth link I still didn't find one study that definitively proves that Television is linked to ADD. In fact it is all he said she said trying to link it. So again where is the study? I even checked WebMD and they didn't even have anything and they have access to every medical journal that has been printed in the past and present.
Sqrly You are right it is easier for myself to use a tool designed to help my child learn then it is to not use that tool. Again I would like you to try to fix a leaking pipe with a screwdriver and see how difficult it is. The fact that you are so adamant about some one trying to do a job (raising children) a little easier using the right tools for the job (educational television again it isn't a baby sitter and I know I would much rather be doing something entertaining for myself then watch a blue dog run around looking for a paw print with my children but that is the price of being a parent) shows, especially with the insult that you ended with, how little you truly understand how technology and parenting works.
Parents, please let your kids watch tv so they can become paralyzed with fear like me and they can learn that terrorists deal drugs right next door. Also make sure to pick up some games that are set in Iraq where the plot is to blow up as many insurgents as possible. Try to keep your kids away from books and also places where free thought may occur unfiltered (for now) like the dangerous internet.
My goodness. I've never seen so many people who know what's best for others and their children in one place. How about... you all allow the parents of children to decide what is best for their OWN children? Just because MSN has a place for anyone to put a comment... does not mean you or anyone else has a stake in or the answer for someone else and how they should parent.
Get off of your soapboxes and high-horses people and start paying attention to your own issues, because I'm sure you're not as perfect as you think you are.
FYI I don't even own a TV that's why I'm not a brainwashed moron. Once you get rid of the TV you will seriously feel like you woke up from the matrix.
What do you think most psychological studies are? It's people that are making a best guess as to what is going on in someone else's head based on repeated observations and experimentation. There is no "definitive" proof because you can never know for sure what is going on in a child's head.
Shonymat: The only reason I care is because bad child-rearing practices are THE reason America is in the crappy situation it is now. Parents suddenly decided to stop taking advice from the generations prior (you know, the ones that raised the Greatest Generation and the ones before that?) and started listening to so-called child psychology professionals who said they knew better than grandma (even though these professionals never raised a child themselves). So it's in everyone's best interest to at least try to convince people to take a good hard look at the way the raise their kids, so that way our country can get back on track. Most important way to do this is to insure they are taught three things: Respect, responsibility, and resourcefulness. Best way to make them resourceful is to turn off the TV, make sure they only have a FEW toys (not hundreds) and let their imaginations to the rest.
Brokinarrow I would like to point out the hypocrisy in your statement.
What do you think most psychological studies are? It's people that are making a best guess as to what is going on in someone else's head based on repeated observations and experimentation. There is no "definitive" proof because you can never know for sure what is going on in a child's head.
Parents suddenly decided to stop taking advice from the generations prior (you know, the ones that raised the Greatest Generation and the ones before that?) and started listening to so-called child psychology professionals who said they knew better than grandma (even though these professionals never raised a child themselves).
So a psychologist says that television is bad and you agree with them even though these are the same people you demonize for changing the way our youth acts. An actual medical study isn't based on guesses. It is based on a control and a variable. Guessing is the same logic as people saying that immunizations cause mental problems. Personally I would much rather my child not have Polio, Smallpox, Tetanus, or any of the other diseases that someone with a guess says is just exposing to my child Autism, when in all actuality it is keeping my children from catching these serious and often fatal diseases.
Bob - wow man, you're being a bit hard headed here. So because I believe what one group of psychologists say, I have to believe EVERY psychologist out there huh? I can see that you're not going to see the logic on this one so I'm just going to stop talking to the brick wall now.
How am I being hard headed by pointing out the flaws in your logic? If I was not actually contributing to the discussion and said something along the lines of "I am right STFU!" then I would be more then happy to admit I was being hard headed. The problem is you generalize and then refuse to admit to that same generalization.
My son watched 2 hours of television everyday. PBS kids. That is on top of the reading and playing he would do. In fact the only problem I ever had with him in school when he started Kindergarten was that he was hanging around a girl a tad much because he had a crush on her. As time went on he made other friends and still hangs out with some of them even though we moved to another city in the state.
In fact I even had to tell his teacher and principal that I was against advancing him past first grade, although both of them said that he is to advanced for it, just because I skipped first and fifth grade in school thanks to shows like The Electric Company and Square One which were both on PBS at the time and it set me back socially. Nothing like the children picking on the smallest kid in the class.
It isn't the television that makes them stupid, it is what comes out of it that does. If you put the kids in front of Tom and Jerry all day of course they are going to learn at a slower pace. If you put them in front of educational shows, they just might learn something and as a parent it is your responsibility to watch those shows with them to help them learn. It really is as simple as that.
Broken arrow, thanks. I also am quite upset with a report that came out and said 1 in 3 kids are obese? Excuse me, but where are they obese? Everytime I see kids, they are running around like crazy. Also in that story it stated that commercials are making parents buy bad/fast food for their kids. Once again, shouldn't the parents decide on what children eat or don't eat and not blame the media for their health problems?
I'm just saying.
"Educational TV" is still TV no matter how they repackage and sell it. This is news only to the parents who won't listen, anyway.
This article appeared, a little longer piece, on the Scientific American website earlier.
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=kids-under-2-should-not-watch-television
That had this to say also:
Brown admits that it is impossible to be sure that TV itself is causing these problems—heavy television viewing may simply be an indicator of bad parenting in general. "Correlation does not mean causation, so we can't say that television use and of itself makes the child have delayed language skills," she says. "There is an assumption here that if the TV were off, then time would be better spent because the parent would be engaging with the child." And in some cases, Brown admits, that might not be the case.
Good to hear a scientist actually admit that correlation does not mean causation.
Now if only someone would teach that to the journalists we have today.
Many parents use television as a baby sitter: "Now you watch TV while mommy/daddy makes dinner!" Years ago, we had a neighbor who would put her child into a mechanical swing, which was a wind-up affair - and the kid would swing contentedly for seemingly hours, also giving mommy or daddy a "break" period. One day we left the house for a day trip, and the child was in its swing on the porch at 7 am. We returned almost 12 hours later, and the kid was still there, swinging away. Not for the entire 12 hours of course, but it seemed like it, and we laughed our heads off.
That is what the problem has been all along. The TV has become a parents daycare provider. Children are not using their fine and gross motor skills or their imaginations. Most normal parents don't need a pediatrician to tell them that!
Kids don't need to imagination - just obey the orders of the elite without question. That's easy. We need the direct tap into the emotional side of their brains that is exposed while TV-watching in order to control their dreams - please don't turn off the TV.
If you don't agree with the study above, switch off the TV for this reason: to prevent them from becoming saturated with endless Mcdonalds/Disney Diva/Sponge Bob images.
Hey, I've been telling everybody this for years....and I didn't need a scientific study, either.
Let kids play, go outside, learn to get along with others, learn to take your turn, stay physically healthier, get exercise, learn what NO means, get exposed to outdoor viruses/bacteria to build up immunity (NO hand sanitizer every 2 seconds), get vitamin D from sunlight. learn to think for yourself and not just when a "flower, or star, or whatever" goes off or a bell sounds.
But that means mom & dad have to get off the couch, too.......
DING! DING! DING!
Wow! My head is about the explode! The revelation is on the order of the discovery of fire!
Seriously, people didn't know this for the past 60 plus years or more and it took them until 2011 to make it a recommendation that toddlers play instead of turning into couch potatoes? And of course, parents who use the TV as their babysitter are not interested in a recommendation from these folks anyway. Either they know better and can't or won't change their behavior or they don't know which indicates they probably shouldn't have children in the first place.
Proved?
Thank you Dr. Obvious.
You want your kids to grow up smart? Get rid of the TV's and videos. Buy books instead.
e some people think the only way to learn is through books and reading! Yup good way to put everyone in a box.
Just another prescription for what we are being programmed to accept.
It is not working. It is not their position to tell anyone what to do. Talk about zombie programming.
TV and radio are the programming device. We are in a dangerous time where some people are allowed to be de-programmed by using unfiltered internet sources more. This has caused revolutions. We must get Clear Channel, CBS and NBC (and others) on the internet and start filtering others before it's too late.
no one at any age should watch television, it produces idiot ,people are forever trying be like characters they have seen on television, they copy these characters and act out their emotions in life the same as the characters they have watched ,were do you think all these presidential candidates come from .
Here is something that I have noticed... First, I find it interesting that there are hardly any articles about turning off television........................ When there are no National or State elections....
I remember back in 2008... The group who said you should turn your TV off for a week... Scheduled that shut off week on the same week as the Democratic National Presidental Convention. I get the feeling that I might had read somewhere that they had selected another week for turn off TV week, but mysteriously changed it to the same date as the DNC convention but I am not sure of this.
And here we are in another election year... and here come the articles describing how evil the Internet and Television are, oh you should shut off your television etc. So why was there a noticeable lack of articles on this subject, during off election years ah?
And thats my Opinion.
harrykid: Your response seems to show me that you must have watched a lot of tv. Your English useage is funny. "were do you think"?????
Harry, way to generalize! Also, your spelling and grammar aren't helping your case.
Harry is right even if his spelling is bad. There are hardly any books on the topic - why is that? TV and radio helps pump us full of fear and mold us into controllable blobs. It's also like a bottle - if you can't live a good life, just live vicariously through TV and don't worry about any world problems.
ALL kids should be playing.
Even better guidelines, in my opinion:
Those under 2 should be playing. That includes listening to kid-friendly music, drawing, reading books and moving their bodies. Those under 5 should be doing the same. Those under 10 should be doing the same, and add in some homework. Those in high school should do the same and maybe add in a part-time job. Those in college should do the same. Those age 24+ should do the same. Put simply? TURN OFF THE TELEVISION. It would do all of us good.
Wisconsin Voter, I think you might be going a bit overboard. TV is not inherently evil, and I see nothing wrong with it as long as it's watched in moderation.
Don't forget daily chores, very important for teaching responsibility.
Duh! It isn't even good for older kids to watch TV constantly. Get them outside to play. The TV isn't a babysitter.
Like a well balanced diet , not too much of the same thing !!!!!
Wow,
Kids should spend time on physical playtime interaction and dexterity development. What a revelation.
But as soon as they hit three, it is time to plug them into the TV, iphone, laptop. Don't want them to get behind. In fact forget writing skills. Some schools want their students totally embedded in their electronic tools. All that is required is point and touch.
Yep, when they hit three, better get them out of the play mode, and get them connected. Our education system is pointing the way. All plugged in like 7 of 9. Who needs manual dexterity skills? That's a waste of time.
I work on campus. Students are so obliviously focused on their I-Phones they just aimless go into cross walks without giving any visual clues to on-coming traffic about whether they actually intend to use the cross walk or catch a bus. They have no sense of social interaction cues.
So, we gotta stop all that kid play time. All that matters is the tube (flat screen) after three. That's where everyone lives, right? Who needs to be able to verbally / physically communicate with body language or physically interact and work together? It's all screen all the time... and texting by pushing those buttons.
At least that will leave jobs for us older socially literate folk. I feel sorry for the new lost generation. I think the Wall Street Occupiers are the first wave of the socially challenged.
You were doing well until you dissed the Wall Street protesters. Those people have the guts to risk arrest and beatings to protest the Wall Street gangsters that robbed our country blind. They are not watching television or sitting at their computer like you are. They are exercising their right to free speech and protest. You wish you had their courage and stamina.
The politicians robbed our country blind. Read more: #ixzz1agNsCV46
Bill Clinton's Net Worth: $200 Millio Clinton's Net Worth: $34.9 Million
Read more: #ixzz1agNsCV46Bill Clinton's Net Worth: $200 Million
Hillary Clinton's Net Worth: $34.9 Million
NOW WHERE DID THEY GET IT?
And you democrats complain about corporate executives who run corporations that provide thousands of jobs. How many jobs do they Clintons provide to Americans?
Read more: #ixzz1agNsCV46 #ixzz1agNsCV46
Read more: #ixzz1agNsCV46Bill Clinton's Net Worth: $200 Million
jacks, Which article did you read? The Clintons are doing more to help people in need than any president in history with the possible exception of Carter. Maybe this pertains to TV but I'm not sure how.
Joel, you're generalizing too much. I'm a young person who watches TV, texts, and uses the Internet quite a bit, and I'm still socially literate. As for the kids that don't watch or indicate their crossing in crosswalks, I think they're foolhardy anyway and would be foolhardy even without their cell phones.
Come on. My 22 month old will not play while I cook dinner or do chores. If there isn't something around to distract him, all I hear is "Uppie, Uppie". I have tried giving him pots and spoons to play with. It lasts about 2 minutes and then he's back wanting to be held. Sometimes, the TV is a lifesaver to keep him occupied while I get things done that HAVE to be done. After dinner, we play and read and are active, but I don't think a few hours of TV a day is going to damage him. I get so tired of hearing how horrible TV is. Sure, when it's nice outside, we will go out and play, but in the winter, we have to stay inside and there is only so much reading and playing we can do before I need a break.
I wonder what parents for thousands of years did with their kids when they didn't have TV hmmm?
Parents addicted to television and making excuses for themselves. If you can't handle being a parent, get some help. But don't blame it on your kid, or make lame excuses- the fact is that right now your child's babysitter is an ELECTRONIC DRUG!!!
It is up to you to train and educate. I know it is a hard job, I did it myself. And I am proud to say that we did a good job. But first you have to train and educate yourselves how to do it.
You know tinks981 I am a childless 20 something who works with teens and wouldn't have it any other way. I have seen many of my friends with children use the T.V. as a baby sitter. One thing I have noticed is that kids of any age really can never play on their own. They need someone or media to tell them how to play. Maybe before you disreguard the old ways teach your kid it's ok to play with Hotwheels in the hallway while you do chores or play with a plushie toy on the couch while you talk with your friends. Include your kid and don't just give in to every "uppie". All that leads to is needy angry teens who can't understand the world.
Thousands of years ago humans lived in groups together. If someone needed a break or needed to do something, you had siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents to help take care of the babies in the family. How many people have that now? It's only been in the last 50 years or so that people actually started living far away from family. No family? Can't afford a babysitter or nanny? You use the TV. And really, would you rather have the TV babysitting your kid for an hour, or some random person that has been "screened". Get off your high horse.
@cheezewwhiz
You are right so many people on a high horse with a stick up there butt. *insert sarcasm here*Oh no the horrible woman who lets her kid watch some TV to do chores. I don't think the time she lets her son watch TV or play a video game is so bad. She clearly states they interact with her son in many other ways. Not every child is built the same and there are many different ways to handle them. Just because a tool is new doesn't mean it is wrong. It doesn't mean you have to do everything the people in the stone age did just for the sake of staying the same. The real problem is that many people us TV as the only tool and ignores their child completely. tinks981 I don't these people just make sure your son is well rounded and have him explore the world with everything has to offer. This is coming from a person who sees parent actually us TV as a full time baby sister and it irks me but I am not going to sum up every parent who lets their children watch TV one box. Oh and the 20 something meaniebugies seriously teens and toddlers are different. Each personality is different I can see it in all my nieces and nephews.
meaniebugies, I was always able to play on my own. Even now that I'm in college, I can still be perfectly happy just sitting and making up stories in my head. In fact, I've written down some of those stories and poems and they're quite popular among my family members.
Hm... dunno about anyone else, but me and my sister were CONSTANTLY outside during the winter time (properly bundled up of course). Building snow forts and snowmen, sledding, snowball fights, you name it. Here's an idea: next time you're cooking set your kid in a room with a couple basic toys and tell him/her: "sit here and play while mommy/daddy cooks dinner" If they come in saying "uppie uppie" use the magical two letter word: NO, you need to go play so i can cook", and set them back in the room with the toys. If they continue to bug you tell them you'll send them to their rooms and they'll go to bed immediately after dinner.
tinks, get your kid a musical instrument. Drums are a great option to keep the kids occupied while I do the things around the house that must be done. (In their room. With the door shut ;p) When they start whining about playing a video game or watching a movie i tell them no. Sometimes I tell them they broke the TV by watching it too much. They will find something else to do but it is advised you show them the way.
Gave my great granddaugther a copy of the old classic, Little Women. She asked me, why read it? Can't she just watch the video? Almost had a heart attack! On the bright side, my granddaughter made her read it. And shock of shocks, she enjoyed it. FYI. Getting kids off the couch and out to play helps the entire family stay fit and not fat!
Growing up we were so poor, we didn't have a tv or a radio. The local supermarket, back in those days, about 55 years ago, offered for .49 cents every week a classic book. My mother bought those and a small dictionary and along with a few .10 cent comic books are what I had for entertainment. Learned to read well, Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Moby Dick, Journey to the Center of the Earth.
I just packed up my 15,000 book library and every book is a good friend.
Jack (or Jackson; I'm not sure), I love books too. I've loved them ever since I learned to read at age 2. However, I also love music, movies, TV, and the Internet. Everything in moderation, everyone.
Agreed MsPiven. Watching one show as a family every now n then or a movie night isn't going to hurt.
What kind of study is this??? what a waste! Even I'm not a scientist, I do know this. And also...under 2 really? how about under 12,13,14,15? My spoiled brat cousin - get off the fffing TV and go outside, do some thing useful.
My family didn't get a tv until 1948, we played outside most of the time. None of us were overweight. Even after color came in, it was less interesting than the kids down the block. Part of it seems to be a cultural shift. From sending the kids 'out to play' to planting them in front of a tv or pc screen. The city streets were no less dangerous then, than they are now. The kids were just more savvy. I'd be gone from dawn to dusk, everywhere possible. Walking to the local theater for a weekly movie was a treat. Get those kids off their butts, and outside in the fresh air, before they forget what a night sky looks like.
I'm right there with you Kitty... we didn't get one until 1950... I was outdoors playing with the other neighborhood kids from the end of the school day till we got hungry. We took over the local street with sports and games... or stuck around in the school yard to play there... it was a great time to grow up and I wouldn't trade it for all the TV in China...
Sounds right, we didn't get a TV until I was around 13. Parents were learning early on that if you want a baby-sitter, get a TV. Never mind what's on the thing, as long as it keeps the kids quiet and out of parents hair, good enough. Sure, parents were told to sit and watch with the kids, discuss. Lol, yeah, right. "You kids sit and be still, behave. I'm not sitting through 20 minutes of Howdy Doody!"
I loved Howdy Doody. My daughter would sing "it's Howdy Doody time" and dance. Nice memory. However, it was one of the few shows she could watch.
A lack of imagination leads to less creativity and innovation as an adult. It's common sense. How much or how little tv that's involved in that, as well as age numbers, well, that's going to be a matter of opinion.
Really. Parents, adults, live in one world and kids in another. A parent ought to have some imgaination and enough creativity to make things interesting for kids, but, that's not going to happen until the kids are around 12 or 13. Lol, by that age kids don't want anything to do with the old folks. Anyway, supervised play is the best thing, letting kids interact with other kids, learning the pecking order of a group. I raised two boys and two girls, so far so good. They're off on their own now and sometimes I sit reading and think; "Man, good riddance!" Well, it's nice when they visit and bring grand kids. Fortunately, they have my number and don't stay long, lol.